


Eden

by ask_twbwy



Series: The World Begins With You [1]
Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, One-Sided Attraction, Rise to Power, Spoilers, pre-game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-26
Updated: 2015-08-26
Packaged: 2018-04-17 09:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4660689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ask_twbwy/pseuds/ask_twbwy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life has always been a bore for Joshua, and after participating in the infamous Reaper’s Game four times, even the afterlife is starting to feel rather dull. As Joshua’s fifth Game rolls around, though, he’s presented with a new twist: a battle for the Composer’s throne known as Eden’s Game.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eden's Game

**Author's Note:**

> Written by: Ayame

Darkness engulfed a large room, swallowing it up the same as every other night. However, on this particular night, the gleam of the moon reflected off black metal as a lone fifteen year-old boy fiddled with the object in his hands.

Tonight, it would end. He would end this fake life filled with boredom, chained down by the dull routine which enslaved him. Taking a deep breath, he eased up his hand, and he placed the barrel of the gun against his head. After one little “click,” it would all go away forever, and he’d never turn back.

“Goodbye, Mother,” he whispered to no one, his lips spreading wide in a grin. “I’m through with being your caged little bird.”

* * *

****

–Day 1: Eden’s Game–

* * *

The bright sun of Miyashita Park greeted deep purple eyes. After a few blinks, the owner of them—a boy of about fifteen—sat up with the clinks and grinds of morning construction as his only ambiance. Others rose around him in a scene he knew all too well. This was the start of another Game. However, this one wasn’t just any Game for him.

He closed his eyes, replaying the previous win in his head. Was it just yesterday? A glance at his orange phone confirmed that it was, setting in motion his fifth Game in a row. The fourth one had ended when he and his Partner had erased the previous GM in a battle that had become all too predictable. What happened to the thrill of the life or death struggle he’d willingly entered?

The boy’s mind reeled over his last conversation with his Partner as they’d waited for the Conductor to collect them. “You really were an amazing Partner. It was an honor playing with you,” the man he’d gotten to know over the previous week had told him, settling his red headphones down around his long black hair. Next, though, came the question every Partner asked at some point: “What do you plan on doing now?”

“Now?” the boy had repeated, his usual smirk covering his face. He always gave the same answer, though with a different flair depending on how he felt. “Megumi, I thought you knew me better than that. I’m going to play again, of course.”

“Play again? But—wouldn’t you rather be a Reaper and play with the Players?”

“That’s a thought.” The boy had leaned against a wall, fiddling with his phone as they waited. “But then I’d be part of their system—I’d have to follow their orders and work my way up. That takes all the fun out of it.”

“Exactly how many Games have you played now?” Megumi had inquired, though surely he knew that he wouldn’t get a straight answer.

“Enough that even this is starting to get boring.” The boy pushed himself up, snapping his phone shut. “And enough to know that Mr. Conductor is late.”

“Boring? But… Joshua…”

Joshua’s eyes had eased away, though his smirk never left. “Yes… boring. Surely there’s something more I can do. I just need something to spice the next Game up a bit.”

And spiced it had become, though it seemed the Composer herself had offered him that chance. Glancing around now, on day one, he noticed significantly less Players than the previous times, but still Players he didn’t recognize—which meant boring introductions. With nothing to worry about yet, Joshua played on his phone while he waited for something interesting to happen.

“Joshua!” a man’s voice called. Megumi Kitaniji—Joshua’s previous Partner—pushed his way over.

“Good morning, Megumi,” Joshua greeted. “I hope you had a good nap.”

“It was the same as every nap since I’ve been here,” the elder replied. Both of them had already spent one week as Partners, and this man had the skills to help Joshua. Smart and cunning with powerful psyches, Megumi could certainly secure one final win for the boy.

“Welcome, everyone, to the Reaper’s Game,” a loud voice boomed over them, cutting their conversation short. With a scoff, Joshua turned back to his phone. “I’m your GM, Daichi. The rules of the Game are simple…”

“So that’s his name,” Joshua concluded. “And I was getting so used to calling him Blondie.” The man who made the announcement stood up on a bridge, and he was indeed blond. He was scrawny, too, but he wore a suit and held an air of confidence about him as he stared out over the Players.

“The Conductor is the GM this time?” Megumi observed with a frown. “Is it because of that special Game he mentioned? Eden’s Game…”

That took both of them back to the white room from yesterday, after the Conductor had finally collected them in a bath of white light.

“Yoshiya Kiryu,” the man had said then, watching the two surviving Players with a smirk. “Part of me wants to thank you—you got rid of all of my competition in your four previous Games.”

“Competition? For what? You’re already the Conductor. The only seat higher than you is the Composer,” Joshua had pointed out.

“Precisely. The Composer’s thinking about moving on—up somehow, I assume. She had Her four Officers and me each run a Game to see who would take Her seat, and you erased all four of them.”

“So you’re going to be the next Composer?” Joshua had deduced. “How disappointing…”

“If it were that simple, I would already be gone as far as you knew, not explaining things.” Daichi had then crossed his arms, his eyebrow twitching in annoyance.

“Oh? Do go on.”

“The Composer wishes to enter you into our special Game for Her seat—Eden’s Game, you could say. This will be the last Game for both of us, and whichever one of us survives will become the next Composer.”

Joshua’s eyes grew wide. He could jump from Player to Composer? That thought settled down with a sinister sneer. If he had that seat, he could control it all and do anything he wanted. If he was the Composer, perhaps then life finally wouldn’t be so boring. His creativity would have no bounds, and he could control the Game to his own will.

Though, as much as a surprise as that came, what stunned him even more was what Megumi said after that: “If that’s the case, then I’ll be entering the Reaper’s Game again with Joshua.” When the boy threw him a confused look, he continued, “It’d be an honor to help you become Shibuya’s Composer. Even if you don’t choose me for the job, I’ll act as your Conductor for the time being.”

The current Conductor paused a moment, a hand on his chin. He pulled a phone out of his pocket and stared at it a moment before nodding. “Fine, then both of you will enter again. Don’t think I’ll be as easy as the last four you beat, though.”

“I look forward to erasing you, too, Blondie,” Joshua had taunted before the man had sent them back into a slumber.

Because of that decision, both waited through the boring introductions now as repeat Players on the field.

Joshua let out a sigh as Daichi went over the basics of how the Game worked. “Honestly, shouldn’t this be done before the first day? Let me know when it’s time to start the mission.”

“Before? But how would that work?”

“When we decide whether or not to enter,” the boy replied. “Why not just go over the rules there for each person? Then repeat Players like me wouldn’t have to sit through this bore.”

“Joshua, I think you’re the only one who repeats the Game more than twice…”

“Plus, wouldn’t it be more interesting if we started in the scramble or somewhere crowded? Then we’d have an actual challenge the first day—we wouldn’t know who’s part of the Game and who to partner up with without actually trying to find someone. Instead, we have this.” He wove a hand at the park, which made it obvious who lived in the RG and who roamed the UG. Though still crowded, sections of park varied from people racing to strolling to the laughter of kids. Even the clatter of construction near the kiddie park seemed so far away from their Game.

As the GM got to the missions, Joshua moved on to his next bit of criticism. “Also, the missions printed on paper you wake up with? Talk about a waste—and totally ten years ago. Why isn’t everything done on cellphones in this day and age?”

“Everything?”

“Sure. Missions could be texted, memes can be saved on them as a Player hears them—it takes out all the fun if you just receive everything you need on a slip of paper when you wake up.”

“Do you plan on doing that when you take over as Composer, then?” Megumi asked, and the boy passed him a sly grin.

“Of course. Hmm… Maybe I could do more to make it more interesting, too. Say… raise the stakes a bit. Hee hee.”

“Raise the stakes? What do you mean?”

“I mean give the Players more to fight for. All we’re fighting for now is our right to exist—what’s the point of that?” Joshua asked with a laisse-fair shrug.

“I think existing’s the point…”

“And that’s the problem,” Joshua drawled. “You’re dead anyway—if you lose, then fine—you die for good. If you win, the Composer decides what to do with you. But what if you actually lost something important when you lost, too? Then you’d really give it your all not to lose. It’d make it more of a struggle instead of a remake of a crappy anime about people just coming back to life.”

“I see… Anything else you’d do with the Game?”

In response, the boy leered. “I could always give everyone a uniform. Say… a dress from Lapin Angelique. Hee hee.”

“Then you’d lose about half of your potential Players,” Megumi rebutted. “Or more.”

“Crush all my hopes and dreams, why don’t you?”

The GM’s speech finally came to an end, finishing with, “Now, check your pockets for the first mission.”

Joshua didn’t even bother—the first mission was always the same, after all. Partner up and defeat all the Noise in the park. He continued messing around on his phone while he waited, trying to decide how he wanted to spend day one.

“Joshua,” Megumi’s voice whispered, catching the boy’s attention. Joshua looked to see that Megumi held not a white slip of paper, but a black one with white ink. Everyone around held the same sort of page, all staring as they read over the paragraph on it.

A crack sounded in front of Joshua, and the boy watched as a man with orange hair held up his paper and a destroyed lollipop in one hand. “Become Composer?” he said, his back towards Joshua. “Sounds like too much work. I think I’ll pass.” He then disappeared in a flash of light.

One by one, others followed suit. This isn’t normal, Joshua realized as he dove his hand into his pocket and recovered his own mission note.

The note read, “Welcome to Eden’s Game. You’re all invited to participate for the spots of Composer, the ruler of Shibuya, with your Partner as your Conductor. The rules are the same as the GM explained, except the one with the highest score, be they Reaper or Player, will be invited to become the next Composer. If you fail this Game, you will be erased. No one participating in this Game will be able to return to life. If you would prefer to wait for the next Reaper’s Game, hold up this note, and your Soul will be stored until the next cycle. Best of luck to you all.”

“Everyone’s participating?” Joshua repeated, his gaze darting to the other Players. Many left, but about half still remained. This was definitely no normal Game, and he’d have to take care and choose when to score his points.

After the last of the forfeit Players disappeared, the black notes burned away to white like normal, and they found their first mission printed on it. It was exactly as Joshua expected: the Noise began appearing before some could even prepare. Chaos reigned around him as Players sought to find Partners and fight the Noise. Only Joshua and Megumi stayed in place, reforming their pact to keep the Noise from chasing them. Still, despite the fear, many Players found a Partner before the Noise erased them—how could they not with everyone in one place? Joshua scoffed as he watched it. Even if day one was supposed to be easy, under the current rules of the Game, it was too easy.

Though Megumi moved to fight, Joshua held out a hand to stop him. “Might as well take this chance to watch some of the other Players,” the boy suggested as he switched to the camera app on his phone. “We need to know how competent our help is. And our competition.” Finding his first pair to take a picture of, he aimed his phone and set the flash on.

“Smile.”


	2. Friendly Competition

****

–Day 2: Friendly Competition–

* * *

Another day, another mission—Joshua knew the routine. He and Megumi woke near Towa Records on day two, each with a slip of paper in their pockets reading: “Teach a citizen music. You have two hours. Fail, and face erasure.” That coupled with timers already ticking on their hand just led to a sigh from the younger of the pair.

“Everything’s always missions right away, sleep as soon as you finish. Can’t we have a little free time?”

Megumi ran a hand through his hair to straighten it out after his ungraceful slumber. “How are we supposed to teach someone music, though?”

“Well, you like music, don’t you?” Joshua asked, his eyes flickering to a pair of headphones resting around the elder man’s neck. “Know how to play?”

“I do, but—”

“Splendid. I’ll leave this one to you, then,” the Composer candidate said with a grin, holding a hand up in a wave. “I’m going to play hooky.”

Megumi took a step back, surprised. “Hooky? But—we need to stick together, or the Reapers—”

“Relax, it’ll be fine. Just go inside a shop, grab a guitar, and play something. The Reapers will leave you alone in there. …Probably.”

The man frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest—after working one week with Joshua, part of him was familiar with the child’s whims, while the other part of him begged to be the voice of reason. “What about you, then? You can’t fight without me.”

“I’ll just avoid them. I’m headed to do some shopping, so I’ll enter a store with a decal, too.”

“Shopping? At a time like this?” Megumi’s deadpan stare broke through his shades, but that only made Joshua’s grin grow wider.

“Of course. The Game’s more fun with shopping, don’t you think?”

“We only have two hours, though. How are we—how am I supposed to find someone that wants to learn music in such a short time?”

“It’s a music store—people come here all the time interested in learning more. Just find a nice, young, impressionable kid.” Joshua’s purple eyes wandered past his Partner to stare at the people going in. A pair of boys no older than eight entered first, and the Player shook his head. “Older than that. Maybe a teen? And we have a few memes—you could try imprinting someone out here with that simple ‘music’ one to get them to head in. What about that guy?” He nodded to a boy with spiky yellow hair, his dark clothes to give an almost punk-ish feel to him. He played with the skull choker around his neck as he listened to music, his fingers tapping to the beat.

“I suppose I could try that,” Megumi drawled, adjusting his shades. Even with his eyes hidden, he held his nose up as he studied the living boy. “He does seem like the type to start a band.”

“I’ll leave it to you, then. See you in the morning.” Joshua gave his Partner one last pat on the back before heading on towards Miyashita Park. He checked his phone on the way, only to find a few missed calls. He’d already noticed it buzz while he’d been taking pictures the previous day, so he expected that. Still, this was something to discuss in person. Keeping his senses open, Joshua watched for Reapers or the Noise they would summon if they saw him alone.

How many years had it been now since he first stepped foot in that café? He couldn’t remember. He just knew he’d been really young when he decided to wait there for his parents, grabbing a cup of coffee with the money they’d left him.

Joshua soon reached the most difficult part of his journey: Miyashita Bridge Underpass. He had only one path to go there, and he found it teeming with Noise facing the other way. They all turned at once, as if sensing him. Well, it wasn’t like he had anything to lose anyway—failure simply meant erasure, and at least then he wouldn’t have to deal with this exceeding boredom. So with a smirk, he rushed in, jumping to the side to dodge an attack.

Two different frogs came at him from opposite sides. He ducked down, and they ran into each other. That, however, left him open for an Alterna Wolf to rush by, tearing at his arm. Joshua cringed and held his arm, backing up against the wall so he could capture all the Noise in his line of vision. He hadn’t even made it halfway yet.

“Watch out!” Just before the Noise could leap at their prey again, a slash shot through them like a sword’s blade. A teenage girl with long, red hair tied up in a ponytail followed through, holding up a pin as she prepared another attack. “Katsu, you’ve got the boy.”

Joshua blinked, staring at the two Players that had come to his “rescue"—not that he’d needed them. He had the situation perfectly under control. Despite their help being unwanted, though, the other one of the pair, a boy who appeared a year or two older than Joshua, hurried over with a recovery pin. "Hold still,” he instructed as he concentrated on the younger boy’s wound. The blood cleared and the cut healed, as if it’d never been there. Joshua crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall. Fine, if these two wanted to butt in, he’d let them handle all the sweat.

The elder boy breathed easy, staying next to Joshua while he watched his Partner. “Good thing we found you,” he said. “Where’s your Partner?”

“Likely where you two should actually be,” Joshua replied, shrugging. “I’m taking a coffee break.”

“You’re Yoshiya Kiryu, aren’t you? Also known as Joshua.” That caught Joshua’s attention.

“You know my name, but I’m afraid I don’t know yours. I haven’t kept up with who’s all died after me. I’ve been way too busy playing Games, you see,” the boy said with a chuckle.

“I’m Katsu. Katsu Nishimura. I’m something of a fan of yours,” the healer told him with a smile. “It’s rare to find someone else my age in the upper class with definite family problems. That’s why you killed yourself, isn’t it?”

Nishimura? Joshua considered a moment, recognizing the name. Soon enough, it clicked—their family ran a large pharmacy. Joshua remembered meeting the three children once when his parents had a business meeting with the owners of the store, but he barely paid attention to them. He only remembered two boys with one girl between them in age.

“I thought it’d be fun,” Joshua answered, a hand under his chin as he feigned innocence. “It’s not every day you put a bullet in your own brain!”

“Haha, you’re pretty brave—and popular now. Not that you weren’t before, being the sole heir to the Kiryu advertising firm, but the news is all over it now. I heard your mother’s trying to claim it was an accident, but most aren’t biting.” Katsu’s gaze stayed on his Partner as she fought the Noise, and he closed his green eyes to heal her as he continued talking. “One new reporter’s gotten pretty popular by showing the mother-son bond Mrs. Kiryu talks about.”

Joshua’s expression grew dull, and the other held up his hands. “N-not that it really matters! You’re part of Eden’s Game now, right? That means you’re trying to become the Composer.”

“So are you and your Partner,” Joshua pointed out. “Wouldn’t it be better to let the competition die?”

“That’s just what the Reapers want,” the girl spoke up as she finished the last of the Noise. She wiped the sweat from her forehead before going over to greet Joshua, too. “I’m Akane, and I don’t know about you, but I think we Players need to stick together right now.” She shot Joshua a daring grin, as if challenging him. “Well, I’m still going to win the points award, but they never said any others who survive will be erased, right? I’m sure you could all become my new Reapers.”

“I see you two have already worked out who’s becoming Composer and Conductor if you win. Though that’s a big if.”

“Don’t think you’re going to beat me, shrimp,” the girl joked. “I just saved your ass.”

“That’s debatable,” Joshua quipped right back at her.

“Debatable?” She frowned, crossing her arms over her chest. “Careful, brat, or I’ll show you a 'debatable’ black eye.”

“Don’t be so rash, Akane,” Katsu attempted as he placed a hand on Joshua’s shoulder. That made the boy jump—no one ever touched him. His mother had always placed him on too high a pedestal for that. “Joshua here was just having a bit of fun with the Noise. Right?” He then smiled down at the other for confirmation.

Joshua folded his arms, shrugging his shoulder away. “Naturally. Tag should be a part of anyone’s sport repertoire.”

Akane stared at them a moment before sighing and holding a hand to her head. “Oh my gosh, I’ve found two complete weirdos.”

The youngest chuckled. “Aww, you’re too kind.”

Katsu also let out a little laugh, but he brushed off the subject by saying, “C'mon. We’ll escort you so you aren’t attacked by more Noise. Where are you headed?”

“Just to get some caffeine in my system,” Joshua answered, settling with a half truth. “It’s so hard waking up and going straight to work.” He had to lose them somehow, though, so turning sly, he went further to say, “If you two really want to come with me, I suppose I could let you buy me a cup. I’ve never been on a triple date before, so I’m not sure how paying should work.”

With a huff, the girl led the way towards Cat Street—she must’ve seen him headed in that direction before. “Now I’m definitely not letting you score more than me,” she complained as she stretched her arms. “You’d make Shibuya even crazier than it already is.”

“Even crazier?” Joshua asked as he followed. “I don’t follow.”

“The Composer’s like Shibuya’s god or something, right?” she reminded. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’ve been a number of psychos and shady people around recently. People that prey on the weak and never let up until they’re run bone dry.” She stepped out into the light, staring up at the sky. “All people want it happiness, but it’s so far away anymore. This isn’t the Shibuya I remember when I was a kid.”

Joshua stepped out as well, letting that information settle over him. He hadn’t considered the people of Shibuya before. Were they what made it so dull?

“Can the people of Shibuya really change, though?” Katsu questioned as he, too, entered the sunlight, the rays bouncing off the golden streaks in his black hair. “No matter how they act and try to hide it, the ugly faces underneath are always still there.” He threw a sad smile at Joshua and added, “Even seemingly close families can hide the deadliest scars.”

Joshua knew the truth in those words all too well, and he averted his gaze. Katsu seem to notice, saying next, “But we don’t have to worry about that here, right? They can’t even see us—they think we’re gone for good. We’re free now, and they’re the only ones that have to pay the price.” Katsu then spun around, stepping backwards with his hands behind his head. “So, tell me, Josh. Mind if I call you Josh? Why do you want to become the Composer?”

Why? To relieve his unending boredom, of course. But he wasn’t about to answer these people so easily. “Who wouldn’t want to become Composer?”

“All those people who forfeited, for one,” Akane answered, fiddling with a pin as they walked.

“Not that I care, but why didn’t you two forfeit, then?” Joshua asked, staring off in the park’s distance as they traversed it.

“It’s what I said earlier,” the girl answered as she tossed up her pin and then caught it. “There’s been a lot of jerks and shady people lately. I wanna put an end to that.”

Katsu, on the other hand, shrugged. “Honestly, one of you two can have the top seat. I don’t really care to go back to life anyway, so I thought being part of this would make things worthwhile.”

“What do you mean 'one of you two’? I’m your Partner, you know!” Akane nitpicked, and the young man held up his arms in defeat.

“Fine, fine. You can have the top seat.” He threw a grin and a wink at Joshua, though, with a finger on his lips like they would keep some secret from her.

Finally, they reached Cat Street. Joshua turned to them and said, “This is close enough. You two should head for the mission now.” Amusement captured him as he added, “Unless you want my Partner to get all of today’s points.”

“Ha! We’re stealing today’s win,” Akane retorted, though she then gave the younger boy a thumbs up. “Good luck, Josh. See ya again.” She then turned and started walking back towards the park.

Katsu didn’t follow right away. Instead, he stepped up to Joshua next, happy as always. “You heard her. Guess I’ll have to get going, too… I kinda wish I’d found you first yesterday instead,” he joked. “All she ever does is drag me around everywhere—it’s so exhausting!”

“Ah, yes. I had a Partner like that at one point,” Joshua replied before stopping himself. He didn’t know these people—he didn’t have to give them information about himself. He turned his distrust into a joke by saying, “My current Partner would’ve been so lost without me, though. It’s like we were fated to be together.”

“Fate, huh? Heheh…” Katsu’s grin widened, and he held out a hand to shake. “Then I think our meeting was also 'fate.’ And I look forward to the day our fate together’s fulfilled.”

Was that an attempt to be poetic? If so, Joshua had to rate it an F for “fated failure.” Still, he shook the other boy’s hand and said in a sardonic voice, “Treat me kindly, then.” The sarcasm seemed to fly right over the stranger’s head, and he waved and followed his Partner back through the park.

Now alone on Cat Street, Joshua could see the Noise gathering around in an attempt to erase him. They had no chance, though, for he rushed to his final destination: WildKat Café.

The bell above the door welcomed him back to the RG, though only the shopkeeper would’ve greeted them—had that shopkeeper not dozed off at a table. Joshua approached and, with a softer smile than normal, pinched the man’s nose.

The owner woke with a startle, muttering, “Kotone?” as he stuffed his usual small shades on and turned his head up.

“Huh. That’s a new one,” Joshua commented. “Don’t tell me you’ve actually been seeing someone these past few weeks.”

Sanae Hanekoma, owner of the WildKat Café, gave the boy a grin. “Hey, Josh! It’s about time! Did you get my messages?”

“I saw your calls, but I didn’t bother to listen to the messages,” the boy replied. “Didn’t have time. And anyway, you’re avoiding the question.”

“Nah, nothing really new. Just an old friend I was talking to the other day.”

“An old friend whose name you’re muttering in your sleep?” Joshua put a hand to his chin in question, far too interested in this subject to let it drop. “And here I thought you were the old hermit who doesn’t go out enough for social relationships, much less romance.”

With a sad smile, Hanekoma pushed himself up and walked over to the espresso machine. “Enough about my past. Want the usual?”

“Of course.” Joshua took a seat at a table by the window, where he used to always sit when he was alive. Back then, he could only watch the Players in the Game, wondering what it was like—and imagining all the fun he could have if he joined.

Soon enough, Hanekoma set a cup of coffee down in front of the boy, who noted the feathery latte art before he took a sip. “Where’s your Partner?” the barista asked.

“He’s doing the mission. I thought I’d drop by while I’m close enough to the area since you’ve tried calling me more than enough times.”

Hanekoma sat down across from the boy, a frown on his face. “Josh, do you know what you’ve signed up for this time?”

Instead of answering, though, Joshua blinked in surprise. “…You know?”

“I have my sources. Becoming the Composer, leading Shibuya—it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” the man continued. “The Composer’s bound by more rules than the Reapers beneath him or her. For you, it’d be like escaping one cage only to enter another.”

Joshua took a sip as he considered it. Upon setting the cup down, he asked, “Would you be one of those people?”

“Me? Well…” The elder hesitated. Now that Joshua had begun participating in the Game, he had more questions than answers about the man he thought he knew well. What was his role in it, and how did he know so much about the Game? And now he knew about Joshua’s entrance into the competition for Composer—something no one else should know.

Hanekoma lowered his gaze, a sad smile on his face. “You know I’ll always stay by your side, Josh, no matter what path you take.”

“Then you should know me better.” Joshua turned his head away and stared out the window. “There’s nothing else left for me besides this.”

To that, the man paused a moment. Finally, he questioned, “Do you understand what it really means to be Composer? What exactly the Composer does for Shibuya…”

“Strictly speaking, the Composer’s the ruler of the dead,” Joshua said as he drew his finger along his cup’s rim. Four Games had already given him plenty of knowledge, as well as a decent search for the Composer all around Shibuya. “The Composer uses the Reaper’s Game to decide what Souls are worthy for what fate, be it returning to life, becoming a Reaper, or being erased in the end regardless. And the Composer can rewrite memories to bring someone back should they choose to—they can do anything within the confines of Shibuya.”

Hanekoma nodded. “Yeah, but you could also say that the Composer is like the heart of Shibuya—Shibuya’s very own life source in one person. The mental and emotional stability of the Composer affect the city in ways most don’t realize.”

Joshua blinked, remembering what Akane said about the people roaming Shibuya’s streets these days. With a hand on his chin, he questioned, “Then the current Composer’s mental stability is off?”

“That would be a reasonable conclusion,” the barista answered. “It’s been like this for years, really, so I can’t argue that Shibuya doesn’t need a new leader. It needs a protector to give it life again.”

“Sounds like quite the challenge. I’m not sure Mr. GM-Conductor can handle it.”

“Josh, this position requires a certain amount of compassion…”

“Are you saying I’m not compassionate?” Joshua joked with a smirk. “I used to feed a stray cat, you know.”

The man knew Joshua better than that, though, and stressed, “Josh, if becoming the Composer meant the other Players and Reapers in this Game were collateral damage, what would you do?”

Joshua frowned. He hated those sorts of questions, and this guy knew that. He never got to interact with many people before his death, which affected him even now. But instead of dealing with any stress or anxiety social interactions might’ve caused, he chose to hide behind jokes and an aloof mask.

That mask cracked for a moment, though, as the young Player considered the people he knew in Eden’s Game so far. The two he’d met today—Katsu and Akane. The former was far too strangely nice, while the latter seemed like the foolish type to fight for the weak. Then Megumi, his Partner—the one who stood by him even if it meant going into a new Game. But for what, exactly? What did all of them want, and why were they so nice and accepting of him? Try as he might, he couldn’t understand their worlds, but the thought of ending them before he found out more put a bad taste in his mouth.

“We don’t really know what will happen to the Players that survive, but don’t score high,” Joshua pointed out, deciding to shrug off the inquiry. “I just have to make the highest score and let them do what they want. Besides, it’s pretty much either finish this somehow or let myself be erased—and that’s simply no fun if I let someone else do it.”

“Josh…”

Both of them knew the truth, though: he had already joined in, so he had no other option but to play. The boy showed the elder his blank hand. “Looks like my Partner finished the mission.” Joshua then rubbed his eyes, trying to fight off the sleep that beckoned him to the end of this day. “I may or may not stop by here again this Game, but you better bring me a cup of coffee when I’m the Composer.”

For a brief moment, Hanekoma saw a smile that reminded him of the innocent boy that used to stop by his shop. That smile faded as Joshua fell to sleep, and the man caught him before he could slip out of his seat.

Soon, Joshua would be transported away to sleep the rest of the day, until time for the next mission. For the time being, though, he seemed like no more than a normal, living kid, albeit colder to the touch. With a sigh, Hanekoma picked him up and moved him over to a booth to wait until the Reapers collected him.

“I’m sorry, Josh.”


	3. Mother

****

–Day 3: Mother–

* * *

Scramble Crossing—a place where anyone could get lost in the crowd. Standing there now, Joshua knew that was the ideal place to begin the Game. It’d even be appropriately named with the Players having to scramble around to find Partners in a crowd consisting of both the living and the dead.

But that future would have to wait. For now, Joshua and Megumi had their new mission: defeat the Moyai Dragon.

“Dragons are quite majestic creatures, but Moyai Dragon?” Megumi asked as he stared at it.

“The Moyai is a statue. It was a gift to Tokyo from Niijima,” the younger one explained. “Though it resembles the Moai statues at Easter Island, not a dragon.”

“I’ve seen it before,” the other mused. “Perhaps if we go there, we’ll find a Noise.”

“I suppose there’s only one way to find out.” In agreement, the two made their way past the crowds and towards the famous Hachiko statue southeast of the scramble. From there, they’d be able to weave through the buildings to reach the west bus terminal, where their target slab of rock stood.

At least, that’d been the plan. However, a Support Reaper blocked their way, his wall reaching up between the towering structures and forbidding them from going any further. “You wanna clear this wall?” the Reaper asked, leaning back against it. “Then both of you dress head-to-toe in Dragon Couture.”

Well, that was easy enough, albeit out of the way. Part of Joshua didn’t want to bother and let some other Player handle it, but the other part considered how many points this would give him—points he lacked so far. Though in the end, he walked towards the store not for the points, but simply because he  _did_  kinda want some Dragon Couture clothes. Megumi, at least, could think he was finally stepping up to do something right.

The two hurried past 104, keeping their pace quick in an effort to arrive before the other Players. They soon entered the Shibukyu Main Store and found the shop in question. From casual to formal, it held nice, classy clothes primarily for men. “Pick something out,” Joshua suggested as a light blue shirt caught his attention. With only three buttons and a white trim around the sleeves, it couldn’t be simpler. Still, it seemed loose and comfortable—and more than that, the low cut seemed wonderfully opposite from the ties he’d grown up wearing. He found his size and pulled it off the rack, nodding in approval before moving on to search for pants to match it.

He soon found a pair of blue slacks. With those and a pair of white shoes, he headed to check out, wondering how Megumi’s search fared. Not seeing the elder around the racks, he proceeded to buy the items and headed to the changing rooms to switch clothes.

They fit perfectly, and he rather liked his look with them on. He switched his Player Pin to his phone and his new pockets before staring at his old clothes—far too stiff and formal. Perhaps it’d do him well to discard of them.

He had that thought in mind as he headed towards the front of the store. There, he could wait for Megumi, and part of him wondered what sort of outfit his dear Partner would pick.

“Joshua!” A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a clothing stand, and he found Megumi already there and changed. The man now wore a white shirt rather similar to Joshua’s, but over it he had a texturized black jacket with matching pants. The man put a finger over his lips in a request to keep quiet, and, confused, Joshua complied. But why? What were they hiding from?

He found out the reason straight away, though he almost wished he hadn’t.

“I know you’ve been getting a lot of questions recently, but I just had a little more I wanted to ask about your late son—Joshua.”

Joshua’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar voice, and he peeked between the shirts in front of them. He saw two women there. The speaker was a woman with orange hair cropped around her face. Her smile stayed too bright—perhaps even disgusting so. She seemed rather young and had no jewelry despite being old enough to marry. Though her dress seemed nice, it also left her free and open to move, showing off both her legs and cleavage.

“You’re lucky I was in the area,” the other replied in an agitated voice, and Joshua’s breath hitched. She was none other than Noriko Kiryu—his mother, from whom he got his wavy hair. “I’ve had about enough of reporters.” She’d come in the same dark blue business suit she always wore along with the usual pencil skirt and heels, her short hair brushed behind one of her ears to show off her expensive earrings. She hadn’t changed one bit.

“I understand how hard this must’ve been for you, especially with all the news reports claiming he killed himself. But you said before that he was your perfect little angel. Why do you think he might’ve done that?”

Of course she was claiming that. She’d always been obsessed with western tales of angels. She was fully Japanese, while Joshua’s father was only half. Perhaps her love for foreign worlds drew her to him despite society. Not only that, but it’d led to her insisting on calling him “Joshua” instead of his given name—or even the nickname of “Josh.” Either way, whoever she might’ve been when she was young had long left by the time Joshua had grown old enough to remember. She’d become twisted, obsessed with his perfection and his future as heir to their advertising company. To her, they were like royalty, the rulers of Shibuya and its trends.

Joshua scoffed, a smirk forming. Oh how he’d  _love_  to shatter her world with the truth of Shibuya’s true ruler, the Composer. But doing so would come with the price of her knowing about an afterlife, and that price seemed far too steep.

“You understand?” Noriko repeated, a frown on her face. “You said you have a daughter, didn’t you? Is she still alive?”

“Well, yes, but—”

“Then you couldn’t possibly understand.”

 _Don’t give me that,_  Joshua thought, his own gaze turning hard as he searched for an escape route.  _All you ever wanted was a perfect little puppet—and that’s all you lost._  He began sneaking the other way, making sure to keep his cover.  _Don’t confuse it with someone who actually cares about their child._

Megumi followed, using his own height to cover the boy until they could escape. Neither said a word as they hurried out the store and back into the UG, Joshua dumping his old clothes in a trash can on the way. They began walking towards Hachiko again, this time in silence for a few blocks.

“So,” Megumi finally spoke, “that was your mother?”

“Unfortunately.”

A pair of young boys hurried past them, the one ahead laughing as the one in back called out, “Souma, wait up!” Megumi let his gaze follow them a moment as the next question formed in his head.

“Why did you kill yourself?”

Why, huh? Joshua’s mind flashed through all the horrible lessons his mother had come up with in her efforts to form him the way she wanted. She’d never approved of the things truly part of him, such as his ability to see people that “weren’t there” or his confusion as to why he’d one day have to marry a girl—why did gender matter? Plus, to her, his creative endeavors were nothing more than a waste of time. She didn’t understand his desire to make a game for a TinPindo system or his interest in the Eraqus X building in Shibuya.

Explaining all of that to Megumi, though, seemed like far too much work, not to mention giving out free information about himself far too easily.

“Why wouldn’t I kill myself?” Joshua replied. “Living in the RG is far too stifling. I’d rather be somewhere where I can spread my wings. I guess you could say the UG rang, so I answered.”

“They say Shibuya’s been on a decline recently. Do you really think you could turn that around?”

Ah yes—how worthy was he to become Composer? This question had to come up eventually with how much Megumi loved these streets.

“When you watch the people of Shibuya, like those kids, for instance, what do you see?” Joshua asked, though Megumi wasn’t able to answer quickly enough. “I see lost potential. There’s so much more this city could make if they tried. Those two kids could grow up to become artists or musicians or something fun, but society makes it hard to break into those jobs.” The boy brushed his hair back and added, “The state of Shibuya is likely a result of the Composer. If that’s the case, perhaps what the seat needs is more creativity to push it forward. Perhaps then, Shibuya could become a place truly worthy of leading the world forward.”

Megumi nodded with a small smile and let all other questions drop. Besides, they’d already reached the wall that’d stopped them before, and the Reaper allowed them to pass this time upon seeing their attire. They proceeded to the Moyai statue and scanned for the Noise in question.

Sure enough, a blue dragon appeared. When they tried to pull it in, though, it slithered off, its long body disappearing into the station underpass. The two exchanged nods before hurrying after it.

They slowed as they entered the underpass, darkness surrounding them as they looked around. The dragon had to be somewhere here, after all, unless it’d gone into the sewers or the freeway.

A clap stopped them short, and both spun around to see a female Reaper standing behind them. Her blonde hair fell straight down her black, and she brushed a little out of her eyes as she stood with a hand on her hip to show off her purple D+B outfit. “You two did pretty good getting this far. But it’s too bad for you. That dragon won’t come out without a little… offering.”

“Are you volunteering?” Joshua quipped, folding his arms over his chest.

“Well, you have two options,” the Reaper explained, tilting her head to one side as she put a finger to her lips. “Either one of you can become a sacrifice for the dragon  _or_  you can get a little something to draw its attention.”

Joshua shrugged and said, “In that case, you leave us with little choice. Megumi, we’re just going to have to make use of your long hair and turn you into a damsel in distress for the noble cause of not cooperating.”

Megumi, however, didn’t bite. “Do you have a clue for what the dragon wants, then?” he asked the Reaper instead.

With a giggle, she tossed a paper airplane at them, and Joshua caught it before opening it up. On it, it read “Play at Moyai,” and the boy soon realized it was a meme.

“You see, this Noise is pretty hungry. See if you can round up a little human girl for it, okay? I’m sure that meme will help you—bonus points if you get her away from her mommy or something!” She then stepped back, her wings beating to pull her up into the air. “Ta-ta, little Players!”

Sacrifice a human girl. That was this true mission. Even if the Noise couldn’t erase a human, they could latch onto emotions of fear and distraught, and any Soul they ate would never come back. If they fed too long, the human’s emotional state could even be broken forever.

“Are we really going to do this?” Megumi inquired, adjusting his sunglasses. “Sacrificing a child to the Noise…”

“What choice do we have?” Joshua pointed out. “Even if we don’t, someone else will to draw out the dragon. Besides, this is a test for Composer, is it not? Sacrificing one person is child’s play compared to what we’ll have to deal with as masters of the dead.”

“I suppose that’s true… Where are we going to find the child?”

Joshua paused, his mind reeling back to the previous day. Katsu’s words rang in his head:  _“One new reporter’s gotten pretty popular by showing the mother-son bond Mrs. Kiryu talks about.”_

 _Sounds like that might’ve been the reporter we saw today,_  he realized, his gaze growing serious.  _And judging from the conversation today, she has a daughter._  His mouth curved into a smirk, and he told Megumi, “I think I have the perfect target.” Without offering any more information, Joshua led the way back to the Shibukyu Main Store. That “mother-son” bond was a lie—a lie he couldn’t stand.

They found the reporter outside the store this time and saying her goodbyes to Noriko Kiryu.  _Good,_  Joshua thought, knowing he wouldn’t have to go in to where the decal was for this. He just had to follow that reporter—

“Mommy!”

Well that went faster than expected. An eight-year-old girl ran up, her wild pink hair bouncing behind her. She stopped, letting it settle as her brown eyes lit up at her mom. After adjusting her green hat, she offered her parent a pin and boasted, “Look, I bought this for you!”

“Wow, Eri, that’s really pretty,” the woman said as she patted her daughter’s head. “Thank you.”

The child laughed as she held her hands behind her back, bouncing in excitement. She, too, was way too  _cheerful_. Had she grown up without a care in the world?

That didn’t really matter, though. This child—Eri—would work quite nicely. After honing in on a scan, Joshua imprinted the meme in her head.

Eri’s eyes grew wide before smiling, liking the idea she thought she’d come up with all on her own. “Hey, Mommy, let’s go play!” She then spun around and began jogging, calling out behind her, “Come on!”

For such a little thing, she sure was  _fast_. Joshua had to run to keep up, much to his displeasure. Megumi stayed close behind them, and a glance back showed him that Eri’s mother had an even harder time keeping up. Perfect—she’d no doubt get lost in the crowds at the scramble, allowing the two Players to complete their mission.

The trip through the scramble went just as planned, and the little girl didn’t stop or look back to notice she’d lost her mom. She passed by Hachiko with the same excitement as ever, not stopping until she finally reached the Moyai statue. By the time she’d gotten there, she’d run out of breath, but the smile on her face never left.

Proud of herself upon reaching her destination, Eri twirled around. “Here we are!” she announced, but only now did she realize her mother wasn’t there. She was all alone. “…Mommy?”

And, like they wanted, the dragon Noise surfaced. It wound its body above her before diving down to feast—

A vending machine crashed down on the creature’s head, stopping it short. Joshua held his phone in one hand and tapped a few more buttons, causing bikes and cars to pummel it, too. His other fist stayed clamped tight around the pin he channeled his energy into—Digitize.

“Joshua—”

“Come now, Megumi. Are you going to fight, or are you really going to let this little girl’s Soul get eaten?” Joshua remarked, now stepping between the dragon and Eri. “And here I thought you were against sacrificing children.”

Megumi put one hand over his face, chuckling. He should’ve known that Joshua had this plan up his sleeve all along. He concentrated his energy into his own psych, and balls of energy appeared around him. Purple, bladed notes shot out from them like wisps, creating music as they hit their target. The dragon roared in agony, switching its target from the girl to Joshua.

Mission accomplished as far as he was concerned. He jumped out of the way, letting Megumi attack alone before he continued transforming objects around them into digital energy to fight with. The dragon tried everything to fight back—fire, biting, lashing its tail—and sure, some attacks  _did_  hit. However, Joshua knew every trick the Noise tried by now, and after beating so many GMs, he found this glorified lizard hardly a challenge. He sighed as the creature vanished, wiping his brow. “Well that was annoying. This mission actually made me sweat.”

“Eri!” the reporter’s voice yelled out as she hurried over to her daughter. She scooped the girl up into a hug, letting her worry settle into happiness as she found her daughter happy and unharmed.

“That was so  _boring_ ,” the female Reaper complained as she landed in a sitting position on the Moyai statue. “You could’ve at least let the Noise eat a little bit of her Soul, you know.”

Joshua shrugged, letting her words roll right off of him. “There was no need, really. She drew the dragon out. That was enough.”

The Reaper rested her elbow on her knee with her chin in her palm. “I guess the motherly bond this girl has  _is_  pretty cute. Too bad you never had that, right, Yoshiya Kiryu?”

Joshua turned his head away, refusing to give her any semblance of a reaction. The previous GMs had already tried preying off his past with his mother, and he wouldn’t let himself fall victim to their words.

“You want it, don’t you? A nice, healthy relationship with your mother—like what that girl has,” the Reaper continued with a giggle. “For your own mother to hold you with love instead of that façade she gave you.” She pushed herself over and wrapped her arms around the boy, pulling him into a hug. He grew rigid as she whispered, “But you’ll never have that, or any love. Face it, Yoshiya—you’ll always be alone, no matter what you do, because all you know is a fake love. And someone who can’t love can’t protect Shibuya.”

A façade, was it? His eyes drooped as the Reaper’s words settled in, beckoning his conscious towards darkness. Perhaps that truly was all he knew, and he didn’t want to change it—he didn’t want to love anyone. After all, the less he loved, the less he hurt.

So was he still fit to be the Composer?


	4. Hidden Proximity

****

–Day 4: Hidden Proximity–

* * *

Joshua and Megumi ran through Shibuya’s streets, searching for a secluded area. Day four greeted them with a particularly strange and deadly challenge: hide-and-seek. With rules like the children’s game, it seemed innocent at first glance, but with one catch: any Player caught by a Reaper would face erasure.

A turn took the duo down Udagawa’s back streets, shadows from the buildings around them masking them as their brisk pace stirred the posters on the walls. They slipped down an alleyway, finally finding a good spot to hide out for a few hours. With a few abandoned shipping boxes, they could make a nice little fort-or so Joshua suggested.

“I never did like hide-and-seek,” Megumi complained as they settled in. “Why are they even using it for a mission?”

“It’s one of the Reaper sports used during Reaper training-or so they say,” Joshua explained, recalling things he’d learned in previous weeks. “I think it’s just an excuse to play games.”

“They really do like mixing business and entertainment here,” the older mused, putting a hand to his chin as he considered the structure.

He lost the opportunity for further conversation, though, as they soon heard two pairs of feet running down the alleyway. Megumi dared a peek, but before he could say anything, bodies to match the sounds slipped into their hiding space. The male of the pair blinked as he saw their new hide-buddies and exclaimed, “Josh! Good to see you again.”

Katsu and Akane—what strange luck Joshua had to run into them again like this. Honestly, couldn’t they have found somewhere else? They couldn’t leave now, though, without being caught, so the boy crossed his arms and said, “Well, naturally. It’s always good to see me. However, you might want to celebrate a bit quieter, unless you want to choose today to be erased.”

“Joshua, you know these two?” Megumi asked.

The youngest of the group nodded. “Yes. They messed up my perfectly planned path to my shop of choice two days ago.”

Akane scoffed. “Can’t you just admit we saved your stupid ass?”

“I could… but then you’d be adorably fulfilled, and we can’t have that.”

The girl fumed at his attitude, but Joshua ignored her to add, “I suppose we might as well get nice, close, and comfy. We’ll be here for a while.”

Katsu leaned back against the wall, placing his hands behind his head. “Not gonna complain about that. I’d rather be stuck with you than just with her.”

Akane threw her Partner a glare and retorted, “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“But Josh is just so interesting. I can’t help but be attracted to him,” the boy joked.

While Megumi raised an eyebrow, his own Partner grinned. “Aww, I’m flattered.” Joshua played it off with a playful tone, though the small smile on his face betrayed the truth in his words. No one had ever been interested in the real him before, aside from Mr. Hanekoma, that is. As for Megumi, Joshua found he couldn’t quite place the elder man’s interest in following him. They had an extended partnership, sure, but that didn’t explain why he’d given up his chance at life just to play the Game again. Still, questioning either of them seemed like too great an obstacle, for their words could easily change in tune.

“Good,” Katsu said with a grin. “You better make it to day seven, because I think I may have a special surprise just for you.” He then touched his fingertips to one of Joshua’s wavey locks and leaned in to whisper, “If I can wait that long…”

Joshua stared right back into the older boy’s green eyes. Surely he wasn’t serious. He barely even knew Katsu—but then again, that wasn’t the same case for the other. Had learning about the circumstances of his death really made this person interested in him like  _that_? And more importantly, what did “that” sort of interest even mean in the end?

After a moment, the younger one opened his mouth to reply, but Akane cut him off. “If we’re going to be stuck together, could you two at least not flirt? It’s kinda rude.”

“Since there are four of us, we should take turns on lookout,” Megumi suggested. “Two at a time to watch both ways.”

“I’ll start, then—as long as I don’t have to look at that.” She waved a hand at the two boys. One watched her with a grin, while the other held an almost apathetic confusion on his face.

“I’ll watch the other side,” the eldest offered, leaving Joshua and Katsu to sit in the middle with silence passing between the group. “We should still keep quiet,” Megumi murmured his final suggestion. “There’s no telling where they might come from.”

Certainly, speaking played on their minds as the four waited. Especially for Joshua, who wanted nothing more than to brush off the tension or last bit of awkward conversation. But on a day like today, where even a glance could kill them, they didn’t make a sound.

“Be on your guard,” Megumi eventually advised, catching everyone’s attention. “We have Reapers.” The other three hurried to peer over his shoulder—or under his arm, in Joshua’s case. Sure enough, a Reaper entered the alleyway, looking around in her search for Players. The two who won the previous day recognized her as the one who gave them the meme, though both kept quiet as they all considered escape options.

“Found a way out,” Akane spoke up next, and everyone turned to find her looking the opposite way again. Joshua moved to look first, followed by Katsu, who hung on the younger boy’s shoulders as he pressed up against Joshua’s body. A pair of Players snuck around, searching for a new hiding spot.

“You have a very poor idea of a way out. The last thing we need is more Players for our little group,” Joshua griped.

“Who said we were adding them? They’re in the way of our goal, so…” Akane concentrated as she pulled a pin out of her pocket. She drew one hand back and concentrated, and a bow made of Soul appeared in her front hand. With a similar arrow in the other, she took aim and shot.

Ahead of her, the arrow acted like a gust of wind shaking the posters around the Players. The Reaper’s head followed the noise, and, with a smirk, she hurried past the fort of boxes to claim her prey.

“That’ll give us a distraction,” Akane said. “We should move on-fast.”

Joshua frowned as he crossed his arms. “You’re just going to leave them to die, then? What happened to us having to work together?”

“My survival comes first to me,” the girl spat, turning away. “Everyone else comes second. If I can save someone, sure, why not? If their loss helps me win, though, then sorry, but I have to take it.”

So that’s how it was for her, then? Joshua glanced back at the Players, who now had a monstrous elephant Noise to deal with. If he stood between her and the crown, would she feed him to the wolves, too?

“Joshua and I saw another hiding spot we could use if this one became compromised,” Megumi said. “Follow me.” He then led the way, looking around as he snuck out. Akane stayed close, glancing in the opposite direction as the older Player. The other two lagged behind, watching the sky for Reapers that might scout from above. They slunk past one alleyway, their sights set on another just a little further down.

“Josh!” Katsu grabbed the youngest’s arm and pulled him into the first alleyway, and they saw the other two disappear ahead of them. Before Joshua could question the other boy’s actions, a Reaper flew down and landed in the area. He sighed as he glanced at the crowds outside of the Shibu Heads, tapping his arm as he tried to make sure all who passed by him were really just in the RG.

Joshua frowned as he tore his eyes away, scanning their available cover instead. There was nothing but flyers in this particular small street, though the darkness cast by the structures above did help keep the Reaper from spotting them right away. Still, if that Reaper came to investigate, they had little in the way of options.

“Stay against the wall,” Katsu warned, and he pressed close to the other boy to keep them hidden. Joshua stiffened, now feeling every little twitch from the older one. A frown met his face as the other’s breath brushed over his skin. People enjoyed this closeness to others? But didn’t being so close just leave them vulnerable?

Still, part of him grew curious as to what others found so intoxicating about it. Perhaps he’d research this thing called “love” later. As for Katsu, Joshua lowered his head as he wondered if he should be feeling something inside-or even if he did and didn’t realize it. After all, no one had ever gotten near him like that before, and this boy had so many similarities. He understood the hardship that came with being rich, yet still remained upbeat and seemed surprisingly nice. Perhaps he didn’t even consider gender as something that mattered. Joshua certainly never did.

Katsu continued to smile, observing the younger boy. “You like this, don’t you?” he whispered, though Joshua didn’t know how to answer that honestly. “Good… That’ll make our future together so much easier.” Katsu then pulled away, leaning against the opposite wall instead. “The Reaper’s gone—he’s been gone. I just wanted to hold you a little longer.”

Joshua looked away, crossing his arms. “I’m not a toy to grab whenever you wish. You could stand to learn the meaning of ‘personal space.’”

“Aww, but you’re just so cute when you’re nervous!”

He could’ve responded to that, especially since he’d never admit to being “nervous,” but instead, he shrugged it off and said, “We should catch up with the other two. Perhaps one of them will be interested in joining your little make-out session.”

The duo scouted out to the main street, and Joshua’s purple eyes rested on the pharmacy across from them. A few police came out, escorting a young man. Joshua heard them mention the name Nishimura, and judging from the age, perhaps this was Katsu’s older brother.

“Ahh, looks like they finally found some proof,” Katsu observed with a grin on his face.

“Proof?”

“Yep. About my death. I was poisoned.”

Joshua quirked an eyebrow, taking that in as he crossed his arms. “Why would your older brother poison you? He’d be the one with rights to the family business. You’re the last in line.”

“I think Father was about to name me successor, actually,” Katsu enlightened. “Pharmacy’s a business with a lot of know-how, and I’ve always been the more cunning one with the better grades. But, it’s all any of us studied. Without the business, he has nothing worth living for. In fact, living would’ve been worse than death for him.” The young pharmacist chuckled. “Guess that’s even more true now that he’s been caught.”

“So now you’re dead and he’s in jail for it. I suppose it’ll all go to your sister, then.”

Katsu shrugged, finally stepping out into the light. “I can’t complain about that. She’s always been good to me. Besides, I’ve found something even better here.” He turned to Joshua. “And someone.”

Joshua didn’t say anything, but he felt a soft twinge on his hand. Looking down, he found the timer gone. They’d survived the day.

“Well, seems we won. Think we can find the other two before we fall asleep?”

“Perhaps, but that’d mean working when we’re off the clock,” the younger one argued. “I vote we take it easy.”

“Here, listen to this,” a new voice piped up. Joshua glanced over towards the speaker-the same orange haired boy he’d seen the past few days. And again, he hung out with his friend. “It’s by Arashi 6, and it came out about two weeks ago.”

“You’re really a big fan of their music, huh, Neku?”

The first boy turned away, his face tinted in red from fluster. “S-shut up and just listen,” he ordered as he held his large collar up to hide his chin.

Katsu noticed what drew the younger Player’s attention, considering it a moment. “Arashi 6, huh? They’ve gotten pretty big recently… though I heard there was some kinda behind-the-scenes scandal going on with them.” He stretched his arms. “I’m betting that’ll be their last good song, though. Listen to it sometime-you’ll probably like it.”

“That’s quite the assumption. And just how do you know about some band?” Joshua questioned, but he could already feel sleep pulling at his consciousness.

“The artist came to us for meds,” Katsu replied, yawning as he leaned against the wall. “But his inspiration died. He was pretty worried about the band’s future… A shame, really.”

Joshua pondered his story, allowing the information to wash over him as his mind began to slip into end-day hibernation. In what felt like seconds, the world faded to black, though the lone hum of music from the child’s mp3 still resonated, its fun, hip rhythm slowly lulling him to sleep. Katsu, too, must’ve drifted off to its beckoning melody, for his weary voice echoed one last distant farewell before vanishing altogether.

“Good night, Josh. I’ll see you again soon.”


	5. Open Mic

****

–Day 5: Open Mic–

* * *

Joshua opened his eyes to the buildings of Dogenzaka, but he couldn’t see the top of the highest ones. He didn’t move, staring up at the dark sky that threatened to pour down on him with a blank, bored expression. It wasn’t until he noticed his Partner stir out of the corner his eye that he moved-and even then, he simply turned his head to stare at Megumi.

“…Are you comfortable?” the man asked, leaning over his cohort.

“There really is nothing quite like waking up in the middle of a busy street with people walking straight through you,” Joshua commented, watching a group from the RG pass over him without even realizing it. “Well, besides drawing on your Partner’s face if they sleep too long. Which I didn’t do to you. …today.”

“Well that’s certainly good to know,” Megumi replied, his voice dry. He offered a hand to the other, who took it and stood. “Ready to see our mission?”

Joshua nodded, and both pulled out their new slips of paper. They read, “Sell out the sixth storm.” The boy frowned, turning his gaze back up at the clouds. A storm was certainly brewing, but he doubted they meant that. Storm-“Arashi.” Didn’t Katsu recommend the band Arashi 6 just the other day?

Still, what was the fun of giving his Partner all the answers? With a sly grin, Joshua joked, “The GM must really want us gone. It’ll take desperately bored people to buy tickets to see a storm.”

Megumi didn’t respond, but instead kept staring at the paper. The younger boy tilted his head, wondering if his headphone-wearing friend had even heard of the band before. It sounded like they’d gotten big recently, but his reaction took way too long. Folding his arms over his chest, Joshua tried again. “Well, where should we start? Haunting people’s homes? I’ve always wanted an excuse to do that!”

“Go ahead,” the man finally said before bunching the note up in a tight ball. “Someone else can take care of this mission. That band isn’t worth full seating.”

Wait, he already knew? But his choice to opt out on the mission seemed more like something Joshua would do on a whim, not something any of his Partners had ever suggested. They always either followed his choices or insisted on completing the mission, no matter what it might be. Plus, Megumi had chosen to support Joshua in this particular Game-what gave him the right to decline a mission?

“I’m going to get some ramen,” Megumi said, and he walked away. Joshua could only stare, his mind reeling with possible reasons why. Did he really hate this band’s music that much? Joshua had only heard one song, but it didn’t seem bad by any means. Everyone had their own tastes in music, sure, but that was no reason to just give up on a mission. No, Megumi had come too far to just give up on the Composer-to-be now, and Joshua had to come up with a way to make him complete the mission.

As Joshua was pondering this, a large hand patted his hand. He looked back to see Hanekoma standing there. “Hey, Josh. Figured you’d be around here.”

“You actually came out of your cafe? To what do I owe this honor?”

“I haven’t heard from you in a few days, and yesterday was hide-and-seek, right? It wiped out most of your competition-both Players and Reapers.”

Joshua faltered, a frown on his face. “How were the Reapers erased? I saw them summoning powerful Noise on the Players they caught.”

“Yeah, but any who didn’t find a single Player got erased. Yesterday was created to weed them out, too.”

So it seemed the GM was really cracking down on both sides. Would day seven be a free-for-all as far as rules were concerned? Joshua considered his Partner and two new “friends,” wondering what they would do. Megumi and Katsu already chose to help him, but Akane had proven to be more of a wild card. He’d have to keep a close eye on her.

“Hey, Josh,” Hanekoma said, drawing the boy’s attention, “where’s your Partner?”

“He went off for ramen,” Joshua replied with a shrug. “Guess I’m either on my own for this one or have to rope him into it somehow.”

“Your Partner isn’t as lazy as you, is he?”

“No…” Joshua pondered this. Megumi usually seemed much more motivated than him. “He’d actually be a perfect Conductor,” the boy mused. “He’s all about getting things done. This behavior is actually pretty abnormal for him.”

“Really?” Hanekoma leaned back against a wall and asked, “What’s your Partner like?”

Joshua smirked at that one, winding a strand of his hair around his finger. “Oh, he’s a good little errand boy. He’s pretty serious, but he’ll do whatever I ask as long as it’s not too odd to him. And even if it is, he’ll sometimes counter it with his ‘reason.’” With a shrug, he added, “He’s far from perfect himself, though. I practically had to hold his hand with how to do things the first few days last Game. He’s lucky he’s shaped up since then.”

The elder shook his head. “No, Josh. What’s he like? What are his hopes and dreams-what’s his motivation? And what does he fear?”

Joshua didn’t answer. Rather, he  _couldn’t_ answer. He didn’t know how. Truth be told, he knew very little about who Megumi really was.

Hanekoma let out a small sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t ask enough about my Partner, either, when I played. Sure, I got to know her pretty well. But I never found out what she feared most until it was too late.”

With an eyebrow raised, the boy asked, “You played in the Game?”

“Yep. A long time ago.”

“…Why am I just hearing about this now?” Joshua glanced away, almost scared for an answer. “Just who are you?”

Hanekoma scratched his head, considering how best to answer. “I guess you could say like I’m the guardian angel of Shibuya’s UG,” he explained. “It’s my job to watch over the Game. I’ll do things like make sure people follow the rules as well as help provide things the Composer might need.”

The boy blinked, and his eyes snapped back to the other. “You know the Composer?”

“Kotone…” The man slid his hands into his pockets. “I knew her as a teen. I lost contact with her 'til we found each other in the Game. We really saved each other’s asses a number of times, and we became pretty close.”

Joshua tapped a finger on his arm, trying to hide his curiosity. After all, Hanekoma rarely gave his backstory. “She’s the Composer, then?”

“Pretty sharp. Yeah. She’s the one running all of this.”

“And that fear of hers? Why is it 'too late’ if she’s the one ruling this place?”

“It’s her own loneliness. It’s killed her inside.” Peering up at the storm above, Hanekoma said, “First her brother left to fight in the war, and then I went on up while she stayed at the bottom, forced to work her way up alone. I hadn’t paid enough attention, and it broke her.” He then turned his gaze to the boy, serious. “That’s why you need to get to know your Partner-learn about his world this time. You have this moment now to live and enjoy with all ya got, so make the most of it, Josh.”

“And just how am I supposed to learn about him?”

“Well, you could try asking,” Hanekoma suggested. “Who knows, he might just tell ya what’s on his mind.”

“And I should care because?” Joshua shrugged and pointed out, “We all have our sob stories. No one’s special, not even Megumi.”

“It’s not about who’s special, Josh. It’s about listening and learning about him. And maybe you’ll find why he isn’t helping you and turn that around.” Pushing off the wall, the man stepped forward and patted the other on the head. “Just be careful, Josh. The Composer picked you, so you’re the one the GM wants to erase most. This mission will probably have some sort of twist to it, at least for you.”

Joshua nodded, but not so without his own reserves. If the Composer had really picked him, then why host this Game with so many other candidates?

Rain began to fall, finally, and most people hurried inside before it got worse. “Better catch up with your Partner, Josh. Watch your back, alright?”

Hanekoma left, soon disappearing behind a building, and Joshua turned his sights to the ramen shop nearby. With a sigh, he walked in and looked for his Partner.

Megumi sat alone, already eating a bowl of ramen. The boy walked over and took a seat next to him, and neither said a word for a moment. Thunder and lightning crashed outside, sending a flash through the small, almost abandoned eatery. It faded away, leaving the place looking even darker as rain pattered the ceiling. Joshua held up a hand to decline the only worker before he could get an offer for food, and as his hand returned to his lap, he fiddled with the edge of his shirt, trying to figure out what to say. Nothing would come to him, though, and he bit his lip as his gaze sank to the table.

Before the boy could find the words, Megumi spoke up, “We were once friends-the leader of Arashi 6 and me. But that person betrayed my trust.” Huffing, he set his chopsticks down and continued, “I’ll always be proud of the city that inspired me, but people like him are a problem.”

“What’d he do exactly that’s so bad?” Joshua asked, drawing a finger over the counter to keep himself from growing bored.

“The music at the concert tonight, the one we’re supposed to promote. He stole it from me.”

The Composer candidate quirked an eyebrow at that. “You write music?”

“No one would really know it. That man, Shigeo… He was also trying to write music, but he wasn’t getting any buyers. Then he got hired by Arashi 6, but the piece he’d given them was one of mine. And to keep his job, he’s taken everything I did and sold it in his name.”

Joshua finally looked, tilting his head as a subtle curiosity rose. “Then why not go back to reclaim it? Why stay here and follow me?”

“The Conductor is second below the Composer. He carries out the will of the Composer, not stealing anything, but still contributing to Shibuya’s unique concert.” Megumi tapped his fingers on the bowl as if a song rung in his head. “To me, it’s the perfect job title, where I can finally give back to Shibuya as myself.”

So, that was the reason. Joshua sprawled his arms out, letting his head rest on them as he considered this predicament. Megumi’s music had been stolen, so it was only natural he wouldn’t want his work to fill someone else’s pockets. If they could get around that somehow, then would he help?

Joshua sat up, a smirk covering his face. “All right, let’s compromise.”

“Compromise?”

“I still have to be the Composer, you know, and with the Player count dwindling, we’ll need to promote this at least a little if we want to make it through the day.” As Megumi’s gaze fell, the boy held up a finger. “But,” he said, pulling the man’s attention back over, “if you help me, he won’t get one cent of the concert’s funds.”

Megumi paused, likely blinking under his shades. His hands shifted together as he rested his elbows on the table, giving the Composer candidate his full attention. “And just how do you plan on doing that? You’re not the Composer yet.”

“Now now, Megumi. This is my fifth rodeo-I know how to… persuade the RG a bit.” He then offered a hand and added, “And if that fails, well, all I have to do is run him into bankruptcy when I win this Game.”

The man could only stare for a moment. Soon enough, he covered his face with one hand as he chuckled. “Yes, of course. I guess you will be a god then… Very well.” He shook the boy’s hand as lightning crashed outside. “You have a deal.”

Joshua stood, only to sigh as he stared at the weather outside. “I really do hate getting dirty,” he complained. Part of him wanted to sit this one out, but he knew he couldn’t-not now, when he was so close to winning.

And so he headed out into the rain with his Partner, and both of them searched for people to use memes on about the concert. Since most hid from the rain, they had to do a number of ghostly home invasions, one of which ending without explanation when Megumi hurried out and told Joshua they’d skip on that one. They waved to Katsu and Akane from afar at one point, but both groups kept going, as they only had an hour before the mission ended.

Finally, the ending drew near. Soaked and out of breath, Joshua and Megumi stopped in front of the concert hall at A-East, where they found a long line forming. People had umbrellas despite the rain, all talking about how good Arashi 6’s music was.

Joshua glanced at his Partner, who simply watched and listened to the chorus of the people. Even though they didn’t know it, it was his music they appreciated, and he’d never get any more credit than this line of people raving about it. His mouth fell agape, and he seemed to bask in it, even if just a little.

“Hey,” Akane greeted as she and Katsu approached. “Did we do it?”

“I’ll take a look,” Joshua offered. “You two keep an eye on Megumi for me.”

“Josh,” Katsu spoke up as he grabbed the other boy’s hand. “Be careful, okay?”

Joshua nodded before drawing away and hurrying alongside the crowd. He didn’t care to see if they’d won or not, though.

Reaching the end, the boy slipped inside the concert hall and hurried backstage. He had one meme he had yet to use today: Reaper Creeper.

“Did you see the line, Shigeo?” he heard someone ask, and Joshua stopped to observe the scene. He finally saw the face of the one who’d stolen Megumi’s music-a man in his 40’s with dark brown hair. He fidgeted with papers as someone talked to him. “I don’t know if we can even fit them all in here!”

“Y-yeah, so I heard…”

Good. He was guilty-that’d make this easier.

“I’ll see what I do to get things under control. Relax, okay? You’re not even one of the people performing.” The needless extra left, leaving Joshua alone with the unknowing man.

The boy peeked over the living person’s shoulder to see what he held, only to find math written on the paper-the math of how much he’d make if the tickets sold out. Shigeo trembled as he stared at it before whispering, “What should I do? This should’ve been Meg’s…”

Well, that was as good of an invitation as any. Joshua imprinted the meme and waited as the man acted on it, drawing his own board before pulling out a yen. “Reaper Creeper, are you there?” Shigeo asked as he placed one finger on the yen, and Joshua kneeled down to place his own on it as well. He moved the yen to “yes,” then waited as the man moved it back to the gate.

Shigeo paused, considering his next question. He lowered his head and asked, “You’re a ghost, right? Do you know Megumi? Can I talk to him?”

Didn’t he know that this was a one question sort of deal? Luckily, Joshua could answer them all with one “yes”-even if the last was a lie.

“Megs, do you hate me?”

Perfect-he was falling right into Joshua’s hands at this rate. “Yes.”

Shigeo’s eyebrows scrunched up, guilt weighing on him as he stared at the board. Still, he took the yen back to the gate to ask more. “You’re dead, though… What should I do with the money?”

…That wasn’t even a yes or no question. Joshua itched to fold his arms, waiting for something he could use.

“Should I keep it?”

Joshua moved the yen again. “No.”

“Then should I give it away?”

“Yes.”

“Would you forgive me if I did?”

Joshua blinked, considering. He decided that was enough, though, and he rose, leaving the man to wonder about the answer. Joshua slipped his hands into his pockets and walked away, Shigeo calling out for his late friend behind him as he found himself left hanging.

Mission complete. Joshua’s timer disappeared, and he found his dead companions standing next to the stage. The seats were filled, and the band about to take the stage.

The boy stepped in next to his Partner and whispered, “Your old friend will graciously be donating all the money-probably to some sort of charity.” He then grinned and leaned against the wall, watching as the band came out. “Hope you don’t mind if we stick around a bit to hear your music.”

Megumi faltered before nodding, a rare smile making its way onto his face. “Yes… Thank you, Joshua. For everything.”


	6. Favoritism

****

–Day 6: Favoritism–

* * *

“Hey, Neku? Are you planning on staying out here all day? Mom said it’s gonna storm today…”

“Drop it, Souma. I’m staying here until Dad comes to get me. I’m tired of him always being ‘too busy’ for that…”

Joshua blinked, his ears tuning into the two children as his senses awakened. This time, he saw no immediate buildings, but rather trees. He was in Miyashita Park again.

As he stood, he found Megumi waking next to him. Joshua let the man get acclimated as he glanced around. They were near a playground, though it only had two children to accompany it: the orange haired boy from before and his black haired friend. The construction crew neighboring them continued to work, but at a quick pace, for they wanted to get out before the storms hit.

“It’s day six, right?” Megumi asked as he stretched an arm. “We should just have to beat the GM after today’s mission.”

Joshua hummed in agreement, pulling the slip of paper out of his pocket. “Let’s get started, then.” He flipped it open and read it.

“Save a life,” it commanded. “You have four hours.”

“Save a life?” the elder repeated, putting a hand to his chin. “How are we supposed to do that? We’re in the UG.”

“They didn’t give us much time for this, either,” Joshua pointed out. “We should get moving–either we’ll find something or come up with a plan. Probably.” Megumi, and both proceeded further into the heart of Shibuya. They spoke some as they walked, but mostly kept their eyes peeled, searching for any signs of trouble.

They played around with some ideas, too. Perhaps one could put someone in trouble in a store, and the other could save them. But, a staged set-up like that probably wouldn’t trick the system, they decided. Plus, Joshua didn’t want to create a scene in the RG. One glance up at the Scramble’s Q-Floor showed Megumi the reason again, for the Kiryu name shown bright as an advertisement sponsored by Joshua’s mother played.

“Hey, Joshua,” Megumi spoke up as they took a break, letting crowds pass them by. “Yesterday was definitely geared towards my problems. Do you think the life we need to save may be _hers_?” He paused, adjusting his shades. “Your mother’s?”

Joshua shrugged and replied, “Then they’d make this mission far too easy. I’d gladly save her if it meant she wouldn’t find out about my new home. She can keep living until she’s too old enough to play the Game as far as I’m concerned.”

“Is there anyone in your life you’d want to die, then?”

“Not particularly,” Joshua mused, considering. “I never saw my father enough, so I couldn’t care about his fate one way or the other. The only other person I even know is Mr. H, but he’s also the only one that’s ever been good to me.”

“What about past Partners?” Megumi suggested.

“The last remaining is a Reaper now, though I haven’t seen her in this Game yet. Either way, she may already be gone if she was here.” The gift of life was a rare thing indeed, offered only to the person with the highest score. His first few Partners had grown to resent him for getting a high score and had targeted him when they became Reapers. So, during his previous two Games, he’d gotten smarter–and lazier–giving his companions the high score. Only Megumi had chosen to stay with him instead of following any path the other three had chosen.

Either way, they weren’t getting anywhere by considering people Joshua knew. They moved on, though still they found nothing to help–not even memes.

Two hours passed, and their timers still ticked. They couldn’t even see other Players or Reapers now, for all had dwindled down to leave only a few on each side. They stopped for some hotdogs along the way, but before long, they’d searched the whole city and turned up blank.

As the third hour set in, rain began to pour, but the two kept moving. Joshua led the way to Hachiko on another trip through the city, though he failed to notice when Megumi didn’t follow. He glanced at the statue of the dog, letting the rain mat down his wavy hair. He had to find a way–he had to win this.

“Only one hour left,” a female voice echoed behind him, and Joshua spun around. A person he hadn’t met stood there–a Reaper, perhaps? She appeared to be in her late twenties with medium-length black hair framing her face. “And you’re on the wrong side of town.”

Joshua frowned, folding his arms across his chest. “You know who we’re supposed to save?” That’s when it occurred to him: Megumi was nowhere to be seen.

“Of course,” the woman said. She then walked over and touched Joshua’s wet locks, staring him up and down. “Tell me. Have you ever been in love?”

Joshua blinked, taking a step back. What was with all these people invading his personal space? Trying to keep his composure, he answered, “Being in love would require having friends first. I’m short on both.”

“What about this Katsu boy? Do you love him?”

How did she even know about that? They had been hidden. Still, the answer came far faster than he’d expected. “No.”

“Are you sure? He seems pretty fond of you.”

He reached up and moved the woman’s hand away, replying, “It’ll take more than hitting on me for someone to weasel their way into  _my_ heart. He’s welcome to admire me all he’d like, but feelings like that are foreign to me, and I see no reason to change that.” Plastering on a sadistic grin, he added, “I was raised to be a façade, and I’ll embrace it if that’s what it takes. Genuine feelings like 'love’ have no meaning to me.”

The woman chuckled in response. “I knew I liked you for a reason…” Within an instant, balls of light rose around her, and her feet soon floated above the ground. “Never fall in love, Joshua, and I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

Joshua blinked at the spectacle, understanding now. Not missing a beat, he asked, “Is that why you’re doing this? Because he broke your heart?”

She smiled back, but Joshua could see the pain and loneliness it contained. It was a smile that seemed to mirror his own empty ruse. Even the tone that accompanied it sounded awfully familiar as she murmured, “Sanae and I can never get back the time we lost. But his heart isn’t broken yet. He found someone new to love, even if it isn’t the same type of love.” Her face softened then, if only for a moment. “I just wanted to meet you once before the end, and thank you for saving him.”

“Saving him…?” Joshua mused, though that statement only confused him. “I think you have it backwards.”

Kotone shook her head, allowing her body to shrink into a bright orb of light. “There’s a meme in your pocket. Win this Game, Josh, and take the lesson in it to heart. Only then can you protect this city like it deserves.” With that, she vanished into the sky.

Joshua cringed. He more he wanted to ask, but she left so quickly. If this was a challenge meant for him, then why invite so many others to play?

His thoughts got cut short, though. “Josh!” He turned to see Katsu hurrying over, Megumi and Akane in tow. The other boy pulled Joshua into a hug, holding him close, and the Composer candidate had no time to comprehend what was going on. Plus, again with no one understanding personal space. “Megumi said a wall appeared right behind you. It only just disappeared… I thought maybe a Reaper had gotten you!”

Was he worried? Joshua tried to pull away, but Katsu clung to him in a death grip. “I told you, didn’t I?” the elder teen reminded. “You have to make it to day seven.”

“Why?” Joshua asked. Perhaps it was the thunder overhead or the rain pouring down on them–or maybe that he wasn’t used to anyone holding him close–but something felt uncomfortable. “Why does it matter to you?”

“Well that’s a silly question,” Katsu whispered. “I want you to be all mine tomorrow.”

His how? Joshua pushed again, this time successfully freeing himself. He didn’t dare look at Katsu, though, and instead told him, “We need to get to the other side of town.” Thunder crashed around him, and Joshua couldn’t place a name on the anxiety that hung over his heart.  _Was_ he developing feelings for Katsu? No, that seemed so far from the truth somehow. Well, not like it’d matter anyway–they only had one more day as Players in this Game.

Deciding to push those feelings aside, he led the way. The furthest point from here would put them near Cat Street, but surely it wasn’t Hanekoma in trouble. So then who?

He didn’t get his answer until he entered Miyashita Park. Those two children he woke up to still sat on the playground, hiding under a dome in it to stay safe from the rain, but now the construction workers had gone. One large beam from above hung above them, threatening to fall and smash their world to bits.

“Neku, come on,” the one known as Souma pleaded. “We’ll get sick out here.”

“Then go home. I’m staying,” the other protested.

So the problem had been right where they’d started. Joshua should’ve guessed.

He glanced at the slip of paper, reading the meme on it. “Give up.” What a dark meme, but if it worked to make that boy move, it’d be enough. With a nod, Joshua scanned the area.

The scan showed him, though, that things weren’t so simple this time. Noise surrounded Neku, threatening to engulf him. Preparing his phone, Joshua ordered, “Get ready.” He then focused on the Noise, calling them over.

A pair of large dogs appeared, and each pair took one. While Akane charged in on one side, Megumi took point on the other, weaving his music into sound waves around it. Joshua and Katsu stayed in place, one tapping his phone to drop virtual construction beams on his Noise of choice while the other focused on healing.

“Megumi, move!” Joshua called out as one dog charged at him, but the man had no time. He stumbled back as he took the blow, and the Noise rushed at his Partner next. The girl moved in to punch it before it reached him, and Joshua dropped a swing set on it next.

The dog stumbled, but still, it struggled to move. The youngest started tapping his buttons again–it couldn’t last another blow. He hit the last one and watched, only for his eyes to widen.

Was he seeing things? No, he was certain: that Noise was somehow erased before his attack connected. Joshua stared at the space a moment, his mind circling through reasons why. He glanced at the others, but none of them seemed to notice, instead focusing all their attention on the second mutt.

Eventually, that one vanished as well, the final blow his. He glanced at his timer–only five minutes left. With a sigh, he concentrated again, and this time he imprinted the child with the meme.

“Hey, Neku?” the other said, leaning back. “If we’re going to stay here, we should at least do something fun.”

Neku, however, shook his head as the meme settled in. He eased himself up, his shoulders drooping as he gave up on his dad–and himself. “It doesn’t matter… He won’t come. I’m done waiting.” The kid put his hands in his pockets and walked out, not caring about the rain. “Let’s go, Souma.”

“W-wait up!” Souma called as he pushed himself to his feet. “I have an umbrella!” He pulled it out and followed, and the timer vanished from the Players’ hands. Just in time, too, for before they could even leave the area, the construction beam fell and destroyed their hideout. Both children turned, bewildered and freaked.

Joshua smirked, watching their nervous chatter about it. “Neku and Souma, is it?” he said, putting a hand to his chin. “Looks like their lives belong to me now. Hee hee… Maybe I should play with them a bit before we sleep.”

A cold hand on Joshua’s shoulder made him stop. When the younger boy turned to look, he found an even bigger invasion of his space than he ever thought he’d feel. Katsu had kissed him. Joshua froze, unsure of what to do or how to even take it. Neither love nor hate emerged within him as the other boy pressed in, placing one hand over Joshua’s chest. Neither of those feelings, but instead a strange emptiness took over, leaving Joshua’s feelings blank as the other pulled away.

Still, his gaze stayed leveled on the other, part of him wary while the other part didn’t care. Katsu’s fist eased into his pocket, a grin meeting his face as he touched the other boy’s cheek. “Well… I think tomorrow should be interesting,” he remarked, and a world of black began to wrap Joshua up yet again. “I’ll see you there, Josh, for the finale.”


	7. Lonely Throne

****

–Day 7: Lonely Throne–

* * *

Day seven had come at last, though it almost seemed too soon an ending for Joshua. Still, he, Megumi, Akane, and Katsu had fought their way through enough trials and tribulations by now to earn the right stand before their final destination: the sewers.  
Akane wrinkled her nose in disgust as she stared into its depths. “What’s with this GM? Is he a dirtbag or something?”

“If only he was that fun,” Joshua quipped.

“We seem to be the only ones left,” his Partner pointed out.

“Well,” the last added as he stepped in front, turning to all of them with a smile, “no matter if the Composer picks Josh or Aka, let’s win this together with no hard feelings.” He put his hand between them, palm down. “Agreed?”

Joshua stared at it as the other two each piled a hand on. He hadn’t forgotten the kiss the previous day, and he hesitated to touch Katsu again. Who knew what the older teen would try next. Though, was it really that bad? Joshua didn’t know. Any thought of it came with the same blank feelings, like he could care less, even though he knew he should care one way or the other.

After a moment, he placed his hand on top of the pile, and Katsu put his other hand on top of Joshua’s to hold it. “How are you feeling?” Katsu asked as he stroked the back of it with his thumb.

“Just fine,” he replied, drawing his hand away. “Let’s get this over with. I’m sure Blondie’s waiting for us with baited breath.”

With a sigh, Akane took the lead, ready with her martial arts pins. Megumi followed, and Katsu went third. Joshua took up the rear, but just one step made him stop, his vision blurring. His hand shot to his head as he fought to get his senses together, and he found a throbbing he hadn’t noticed before. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths, pulling himself together as much as he could before following the others. His sight soon eased back to normal. His head, though, wouldn’t stop hurting.

Daichi waited for them in front of a bridge, which crossed over the murky, urban waters below. Though dark, they found it bright enough to see their enemy clearly, and they all prepared to fight. “So, you made it, Yoshiya Kiryu. You really are talented.”

“I would say the same about you, but your missions were dreadfully boring,” the boy taunted. “Really, week two was the most fun. It’s an utter shame that GM’s gone!”

“Just how long have you been doing this?” Akane muttered, not that she expected a response. Instead, she used a pin to summon a katana to her hands. “Whatever, let’s just get this over with already so I can take the throne!” The others prepared as well, and Daichi smirked at their efforts.

“Fine then… I’ll erase you all,” the man challenged, and a Noise symbol flashed in front of him. Large, black Reaper wings emerged from his back, circling around his body as he transformed. His arms turned into blades, unattached save for the familiar wisps of green that somehow seemed to hold the Noise together. Four thin legs replaced his two, and a leaf emerged on his back, curling into the same wisps at the end. His whole body grew to twice their size, completing his transformation into a praying mantis.

“Well well,” Joshua taunted with a hum. “No wonder you always seem to bug me so much. To bad a win is only in your prayers.” A blade swept towards him the moment the last syllable left his lips, and he jumped to the side in an effort to avoid it. He watched as it sent out a copy of itself–

His vision blurred again, and he barely caught his footing. He touched his head, only to draw his hand back in surprise. Was he sweating? The battle had hardly even begun, and his fighting style never made him sweat. No, there had to be something more at play. But what?

He had no time to ponder, though, for the battle raged on. Daichi’s insect wings spread, and he took to the air to charge through the others. Joshua fought to focus, tapping the buttons on his phone. They dropped a steady stream of cars and vending machines behind the GM, but not one hit. Cursing internally, Joshua drowned out his comrades. His breath grew heavy as he narrowed in on his enemy, and this time, his attacks smashed down on the Noise. Daichi crashed into the ground, and Joshua noticed Akane rush for him out of the corner of his eye.

Quickly, Joshua thought as his fingers pressed the buttons on his phone, more furious than ever. I need this to end.

And end, it did. Akane’s sword sliced into the mantis’ neck, severing it as the Noise vanished into thin air. They’d won.

And yet, despite that, Joshua felt no better than before. His head still ached, and his eyes still strained to keep up with everything around him. Why? Had he not won already?

“Joshua!” Akane’s voice broke through the fog that threatened to engulf him. “It’s me versus you now. Let’s settle who’ll be Composer.”

Joshua cringed. Part of him knew something like this would come, but now? He couldn’t fight properly like this.

With a sigh, the boy pinched himself, using the pain to hold his senses. He stared down at his arms, a blank expression capturing his face as he proceeded to ignore the girl.

“Joshua?” he heard his Partner ask, but the boy ignored it. He swayed, spreading his feet out to stay up. His eyes rose to find Akane, with the world around her black as she charged in.

Ah, but she really was too gullible. Joshua regained his composure and slid out of the way. He tapped one key on his phone to summon a gun to his hands–a gun that he held to the back of her head. “I’d rather not kill you,” the boy said. “You’d make a skilled Officer. Give the throne up, and in return, I won’t kill you. Deal?”

Akane bit her lip, but she knew she’d lost. She’d fallen for his ruse far too easily, and going easy at that crucial moment came with a price. “I want one wish when you become Composer,” she compromised. “Grant me that, and I won’t come after you ever again.”

Joshua didn’t know if he could trust that, but once he was Composer, it’d hardly matter. “Deal,” he agreed as he drew the gun away, letting it disappear like the rest of his digital summons. Surely, once he saw Kotone again, even this dizziness would go away. Joshua looked around, wondering what took her so long.

“Ehhh, you’re really something, Josh,” Katsu spoke up, and he pulled Josh into a backwards hug. Joshua blinked, staring up at the older boy’s grin. “To think you’ve gone all day poisoned and can still hide it so well.”

Wait–poisoned? Joshua’s eyes widened, and he pushed Katsu away. “You…” The boy trailed off as it suddenly became clear. His mind flashed back to the kiss the previous day. More than that, the fist Katsu had stuffed in his pocket–had it held a pin?

“Katsu, what are you talking about?” Akane demanded with a frown.

“Yoshiya ‘Joshua’ Kiryu, the prodigal son.” The elder boy’s grin widened, demented as his eyes danced on Joshua. “You had everything. You were their only child, destined for the top seat in all of the living Shibuya! And yet you gave it up so easily. Why would you do such a thing?”

Joshua could feel his body grow weak by the second, but he refused to let it show. Akane took a step back at her Partner’s tone, and even Megumi’s calm demeanor shook with anger. Joshua threw a glare as he replied, “You should know the troubles that come with a family like that.”

“Oh, I do. That’s why I tried to poison my brother.” Katsu paced, scratching his cheek. “I was never going get the company, really. I thought if I killed him, I would then, but I died instead. Haha, it was all such a mess!” He stopped, leveling his gaze on each of his former companions. “But then I got invited to this Game, for the ultimate ruling position. And better yet, you were in it, Josh!” Reaching out, he yanked the boy’s wrist, and Joshua tripped right into Katsu’s twisted arms. “Fighting for a throne you don’t deserve after committing suicide. That’s why I want to make you my toy–to torment you for all the times you ran away like a coward.”

Was this the true purpose of Eden’s Game? It was never for Katsu or Akane, but a lesson that Joshua understood all too well. Power brought out the worst in people and drove them to fight.

In the end, Joshua had no friends.

A chuckle rose from Joshua, merging into a twisted laugh. “Poisoned?” he asked as he pushed himself up straight. “Looks like you’re not very good if that’s how you were trying to end me. It didn’t work–I’m feeling perfectly chipper and golly.” A lie, yes, but he’d have to hold to it now. He couldn’t show any weakness, or he’d surely lose his life.

Katsu opened his mouth to say something, but a purple note stopped him. He held his arms up in defense as more pelted him, and the owner stepped next to the boy. “Joshua, are you all right?” Megumi asked, placing a hand on his Partner’s shoulder.

Well, there was one person not interested in the power struggle, at least. Joshua nodded and pulled out his phone. “Keep him busy.” Megumi nodded and rushed in, summoning his purple balls around Katsu.

The healer jumped away, only for Akane to rush him from the side. With a grin, Katsu grabbed his Partner’s arm when she missed, channeling a psych through it. “Maybe I should turn it up a notch.” Megumi tried to save her with his notes, but it was too late. Akane cried out in pain as her body twisted, her arms and neck bending further back than they should. She stumbled, unable to take it, and as if reveling in the sight of her mangled agony, the teenage boy pulled her close to whisper, “Thank you, Akane. I couldn’t have done all this without such a great Partner.” He then shoved her, sending his most trusted companion beneath the cold waters of the river for good. “Now time for you to sleep.”

He was a monster, and he needed to be stopped once and for all.

Katsu turned to Joshua, not deterred in the least. “Well, that one works. How 'bout it, Josh? I’ll try some new psychs on you, too! Maybe I’ll even keep you alive when I become Composer–to suffer for all eternity.”

“Pass,” Joshua replied with a shrug. “My beautiful face doesn’t deserve that level of pain. Rather, I think you’re the one who needs to pay for invading the future Composer’s space. That’s a capital offense.”

Katsu’s smile continued as he said, “You, Josh, are what’s wrong with this city.”

Joshua didn’t listen, though, for he called out to his Partner as he finished his preparations. Megumi slid over next of them, and each held one arm up. A blue blast shot out of it, the front weaving with the face of a dragon before engulfing their enemy in a bright light that threatened to blind Joshua’s already weak sight.

When it cleared, they saw Katsu barely holding on, clutching his arm in pain. Both Joshua and Megumi prepared to attack again, especially when they saw how much more malicious their enemy’s smirk had grown. “Josh… Hey, Josh. You don’t really want to kill me. I know! I’ll mix some more kisses in with your torture–”

Crash. A digital car fell on the elder teen, and Joshua stared down his nose at the twitching figure that struggled to keep moving. The writhing soon stopped, though, and both car and boy vanished. Katsu was no more. And better yet, Joshua’s body no longer felt so weak.

As the two took a moment to breath, Joshua glanced at the water. There was no sign of Akane, but he could only guess she didn’t survive her Partner’s madness. The reflection of two weasel Noise blinked in the water, disappearing in a flash like they were only an illusion. Either way, the girl was no more.

A shimmer caught Joshua’s attention, and a light flew up to them. Both looked, only to see it fly further in. After exchanging glances. they followed deep into the sewer’s depths.

The light led them to a door before disappearing inside. They held their pins ready as Megumi pulled it open, revealing a bright room. Stepping in, they found a glass floor with fish swimming beneath it, surrounded by white furniture–from a couch to tables to extra chairs. Bottles of all sorts of alcohol lined the shelves, and an old jukebox sat in the corner.

A folded note on the table caught Joshua’s attention, and he walked over to pick it up. On the outside, it read, “Congratulations, Joshua. Now for your final test.” The boy flipped it open, only to halt when he read his final mission: “Erase your Partner.”

“Joshua? What does that say?” the man asked, blissfully unaware.

After folding the paper back up, Joshua stuffed it in his pocket. “It’s nothing,” he lied. “Surely this isn’t just a dead-end. Perhaps there’s a hidden door.”

Megumi nodded, and he began searching the walls for such a thing. The Composer candidate watched him for a minute, considering the newest mission. Why Megumi? He had no want to be the Composer, but the one who stood in the light for the Composer. Joshua stared down, remembering the man’s decision to join him a second time, or perhaps their stop in the ramen shop, when Megumi opened up for the first time. Could he really just erase that man so easily?

The sound from the jukebox flickered, jumping to static. After a moment, one voice came on, repeating and overlapping the same sentence: “Kill your Partner.”

Megumi blinked before turning to Joshua, surprised. “Josh…?”

More words were added to the jukebox. “If you want to be Composer…” It kept repeating over and over, like a broken record that wouldn’t stop. The man took a step back, weary as he watched the Composer candidate.

He couldn’t take it. The sound kept getting louder and louder, drowning everything else out, even his own thoughts. Wanting to just end it all, Joshua pulled his phone up and pressed a button.

A couch fell on the jukebox, crushing it and ending all its noise. Joshua and Megumi stood in the silence, neither daring to speak for a moment. It was the younger of them who dared talk first, saying, “Sorry, but I’m done listening to missions. Now show yourself, Kotone. You wanted me to win, and here I am.”

The room seemed to pause this time before a door finally revealed itself smack-dab in the middle. Joshua opened it up, only to find another long hallway ahead.

“Stay here,” he told Megumi. Turning a cocky grin back to the man, he added, “I’ll summon you when I’ve taken her seat.”

“Very well. And thank you, Joshua…” He paused, only to correct himself. “No… Thank you, Sir.”

With that, Joshua took his sweet time on his stroll down the final hall to win his prize from Shibuya’s goddess.

* * * * * * *

Kotone took a deep breath, letting her sight return to normal. Her eyes flickered to the other person in the room before turning away, and she rested her head on her hand. “You should get going, Sanae. You won’t want to see this.”

“Are you even sure he’ll pull the trigger?” Hanekoma asked, though he also didn’t dare to look at her. “I don’t think he knows that you plan on dying.”

“He will,” Kotone answered. “And I’m sure he’ll make a great Composer–much better than I was.”

“Hey, Kotone…”

“It’s true, and you know it,” the woman said. “I lost all hope, and Shibuya has as well. The city feeds of its Composer’s feelings… It’s time it had new feelings to inspire it.” Staring up at the ceiling, the woman let one last smile make its way on her face. “Before you go, though, I want you to promise me one thing.”

Hanekoma looked, but he didn’t need to say anything, for she continued before he could: “Protect Shibuya. No matter what might happen, no matter who might threaten it… Keep this city alive for me. That’s my final request.”

The man sighed, rubbing his head. “You don’t even need to ask that, you know. I’ll protect it.”

“Thank you, Sanae… And goodbye.”

Both could feel the boy approach, and Hanekoma vanished. He didn’t like either outcome of this battle, but he knew he couldn’t stop them now. Either way he went about it, he’d lose one of them.

And soon enough, a bang rang through the deepest depths of Shibuya, where no one save the lone survivor of the duel could hear.

* * * * * * *

Years passed, and the Game changed–but came around again with the same basic structure. Shibuya, too, underwent a number of changes since the days of Eden’s Game.

Joshua stood in front of the mural at Udagawa, letting the RG’s sun wash over him. It’d been seven years since his last visit to this plane, and back then, he thought he’d spend forever playing in the UG.

But “forever” was a long time for one with no friends his age to share it with.

“Friends”… Who even needed that. People were the problem–they always had been. The world was better off without the people who insisted on crowding Shibuya with their selfish squabbles.

Movement caught his attention, and Joshua hurried to a back alley. Though the boxes he’d once used as a fort no longer sat in it and the posters had changed, it still offered the same strategical vantage he’d used during that Game so long ago. And as if on cue, an orange haired boy came into view.

Neku, wasn’t it? My, how he’d grown into a handsome teenager. But what caught Joshua’s interest more was the way the other boy stared at the mural, captivated by it.

Well, he did owe Joshua his life. Perhaps he’d be a good proxy… but the Composer still had a few days to make his final decision. He turned and walked away, his lonely heart set on winning this new Game.

He would destroy Shibuya with his own hands.


End file.
